1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of fabricating semiconductor devices. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method of fabricating semiconductor devices that can increase the efficiency of removing photoresist.
2. Description of the Related Art
Photolithography is one of the critical process for fabricating integrated circuits. The photoresist layer used in a photolithographic process must be completely removed after a dry etching operation, a wet etching operation or an ion implant process to prevent any residues from affecting subsequent processing operations.
However, property of photoresist varies with processing environment. For example, in an ion implant process, the surface of a photoresist layer will be hardened by the ions so that the gas trapped in the photoresist during photolithographic process is hardly to come out. In the later ashing process, the gas exposes and cause pollution of the wafer (popping). Moreover, after the ion implant process, an ashing treatment with CF4 and an clean process using high-temperature RCA solution (developed by Kern and Puotinen in the experimental laboratory set up by the Radio Corporation of America (RCA) in 1960) with dilute hydrofluoric acid (DHF), and now a commonly used wet cleaning solution) are performed to remove the surface-hardened photoresist. However, because the photoresist is removed using an RCA solution with DHF raised to a high temperature, upward of about 70° C., the process of removing the photoresist will lead to a wasting of some oxide material on the substrate. Ultimately, the performance of the device may be affected.
To prevent the effect a high-temperature RCA solution on the performance of a device, a low temperature RCA solution without DHF is widely adopted to remove photoresist material after an ion implant process. Yet, the efficiency or removal rate of photoresist material using a low temperature RCA solution is rather low. Moreover, it is difficult to remove the photoresist material completely. Thus, the process for removing photoresist material after an ion implant process needs to improve.